A national survey of the use of physical restraint in long‐term care hospitals in Japan

Aims and objectives. To investigate the prevalence of physical restraints in the long‐term care hospitals in Japan and to examine the factors of physical restraint use, including the specific skills/techniques that the staff use to minimise the restraints. Background. Despite the national efforts to nullify physical restraint, it is still prevalent in long‐term care facilities in and out of Japan. More detailed information regarding what affects physical restraint is needed. Design. Cross‐sectional mail survey. Method. A questionnaire was sent to a nursing ward manager of the random sample of long‐term care facilities in Japan. Results. The average rate of physical restraint was 25·5%. Altogether, 81·0% of the restrained clients were under restraint for more than one month. The most prevalent method of restraint was bilateral bedrails, followed by the use of coveralls and gloves. Factors of restraint were different depending on the type of restraint, suggesting specific approaches are needed for specific type of restraint. Conclusions. Physical restraint is still prevalent in Japanese long‐term care hospitals, and nurses need to develop effective intervention approach to redesigning practice related to physical restraints. Specialised intervention approach seems needed depending on the types of restraint. Relevance to clinical practice. Specific approach should be developed to minimise the physical restraint in long‐term care hospitals in Japan.